Two Lovers and a Cat
by purplecrown14
Summary: Ron and Hermione are fighting again and Harry tries to help them. warning: slight cursing.


Harry was standing in between his two best friends, trying to break up their latest argument. He didn't even know what they were yelling about, but Hermione was screeching at Ron and Ron was yelling back, not letting her finish her sentences.

'God, Hermione, why do you have to be such a _buzzkill_? You strut around like you're the smartest person in the world. Well you know what? I'm sick of it. I'm not an idiot. I can think for myself. Why do you think I beat you at Chess all the time? Oh, didn't want me to say that in front of your friends, well I hope everyone can hear me because I BEAT Hermione Granger at Chess. Yes your hearing me right. I WON. She LOST. How does that feel Hermione? Because now you know what it's like to be humiliated for something stupid that you did. Oh I don't finish an essay or Oh I didn't get a perfect score on a test. Well, fuck you! Because I beat you every single time we play. Get used to it or get lost!" With that Ron turned on his heal and stormed out of the common room and into the Boy's Dormitories.

Harry looked over at Hermione and saw tears beginning to form. He walked over to her and told her to sit down and wait for him. He was going to talk to Ron. She nodded and flopped onto the floor, her hair fell over her face and covered it from view.

Harry sighed to himself as he walked up the steps to talk to Ron. The fighting had been getting worse and worse over the past year. Something would happen and they'd blow up at each other until he stepped in and talked to them both. Then they'd stay by Harry (one on either side) and not talk at all for days. And then it would be back to normal, until the whole goddamn thing started again. This had to stop and Harry had a good idea about what was going on.

"Ron?"

"Mmmmph." Harry sat down next to Ron, who was lying on his stomach, face in a pillow. He put an arm on Ron's elbow and tried to get him to sit up, but Ron was not going anywhere. Harry sighed again

"Tell me what she did this time."

"She started laughing at me because Snape gave me three detentions for not completing that idiot essay. She kept on saying that I was a dumbass and that I needed to get my priorities straight. But you know I hate Potions. She was being a bitch, _as usual_." Ron could be such a baby sometimes.

"Ron, do you ever stop to think why you guys fight so much? I mean Draco and I used to be at each other's throats and now, well you know… Maybe there's the same kind of tension between you and Hermione. Remember fourth year for the Yule Ball? She got mad because you didn't ask her fast enough and you got mad because she went with Krum. And then she wouldn't speak to you because of Lavender in sixth year, but you wouldn't talk to her when she got a boyfriend either _and_ you got jealous because she was sending letters to Krum. Have you ever thought of her in a romantic way?'

Ron looked at him like he was an alien and then flopped back down into the pillow.

"Shut up, Harry. I don't _like_ her."

"Ok, Ron, whatever you say. Listen, I'm going to go talk to her and see if she's all right. You said some pretty mean things to her."

"Yeah I know. It's just… She's so… Sometimes I just… Even if I did like her like that, not saying that I do- but if I did, she doesn't love me, so it would be pointless…"

"It's ok, I understand. But you never know, she might love you just as much as you love her, you just need to talk to her. Be right back, yeah?" Ron nodded and Harry left the room.

Harry entered the common room to find Hermione holding Crookshanks close to her and petting his course fur distractedly. He knelt down beside her and patted her shoulder.

"Harry… I, I just don't know. I'm so confused. I was trying to help him, but…"

"Maybe you should try and do it in a different way. He says you tell him he's an idiot. I know that you don't think that, but sometimes you nag him too much. He tries, so hard, and so do you. There's so much pressure on all of us that when we fight, its blown up to huge proportions. Maybe you two need to sit down and talk about your differences. You are both my best friends and I really don't want to loose you either of you for something like an essay. I love you guys to death, but sometimes it's just too much."

Hermione nodded and wiped her eyes. "Harry. I just… he'd never…"

"Never what?" Hermione closed her eyes and bowed her head. "'Mione?"

"Love me the way I love him." She whispered so softly, Harry wasn't even sure he heard her right. She leaned against him and allowed her face to press against his shoulder.

"I know, I know. He loves you too, you know, but he has an emotional range of a teaspoon, remember?" She choked out a laugh and Harry patted her back. "You two just need to talk."

"Maybe… thank you, Harry. I know we stress you out. I'm sorry."

"No it's ok. I'm used to it by now. Even if you two got together, it's like the fighting would stop, you would just handle it differently."

"Ok, Harry, I'm going to go to sleep. See you tomorrow. I guess we'll figure this out later."

"Yeah, ok. 'Night."

"'Night."

Harry walked back up to the dormitories. Ron was sitting up on his bed and motioned for Harry to come over.

"I think you're right Harry. I think I'm gonna talk to 'Mione tomorrow."

"Good. I think it'll be good for you, both of you."

"Yeah mate. G'night."

"'Night, Ron."

Harry slipped into his bed and closed his eyes and sighed. Ron and Hermione needed to stop fighting and realize how much they meant to each other. But if their talk didn't go well, Harry wasn't sure he would be able to fix their friendship. He would either have to choose between them or play both sides of the field, neither of which he wanted to do. Well, he'd just have to see how it went…

The next day, Harry pulled Ron and Hermione out of the common room and into a side room towards the back of the tower. Classes were over and they didn't have that much homework, which was a gift from the gods.

He sat them down facing each other on two different couches that he transfigured out of chairs and sat on the floor by their feet.

"Ok, Ron, Hermione. You guys both need to talk to each other. I can leave if you want me to, but if you need me, I'll be right here. Please try to say everything you need to, our friendships depend on it, I think and I'm sure you both want to talk."

"Actually, Harry, I think I want to talk to Ron alone, can you wait outside?" Harry nodded and stood up.

"I'll be right outside." He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. This was it. He wished his two best friends the best of luck silently and closed his eyes, expanding his mind so that he could hear what they were saying. At first harry thought he had done something wrong, because all he got was silence, but then he heard Ron speak.

"Hermione. I guess I should start by saying I'm really sorry for yelling at you yesterday. Now that I think about it, I realize you were trying to help. It's just… it doesn't seem like you think I'm smart at all. I'm not an idiot. I do think for myself sometimes. I guess I just wish you would think that too." Even without seeing Ron's face, Harry knew admitting that was hard for him.

"I know you're smart and brave and strong, but sometimes I want to help you and I guess it's the only way I know how. I'll try to stop, I promise, just come to me for anything ok? Because you're… you're really important to me and I want you to do well." Harry smiled to himself.

"You're really important to me too. Not the same way as Harry is. He's my best friend and you… you're more important to me in a different kind of way."

Harry sat there for a second, contemplating. He wanted to see, not only hear, what was going on with his two best friends. Without thinking about their privacy at all, he focused his magic again, this time with his eyes.

Ron was sitting on the couch playing with his fingers and Hermione was sitting across from him, Crookshanks curled in her lap for some reason. She seemed to be holding the cat close as if it were all she had and was looking away from Ron. She seemed afraid of his reaction.

He mumbled something and she looked up at him with a questioning glare and he tried again.

"Oliview" Ron's ears were red and he screwed his eyes shut.

"What?"

"I. Love. You." He stumbled forward and it looked like he was trying to hug Hermione, but he ended up getting a face full of Crookshanks. Almost immediately, Ron started yelling and jumping around and tugging at the cat to get it off him, but the cat held on. His claws dug into Ron's shirt and refused to be moved.

Hermione stood stock still, staring at the scene before her for a few seconds before registering what was happening and bursting out in laughter.

"Hermione! This isn't funny. Get this _cat_ off me. Ow! Shit! Crookshanks, get off!."

Hermione doubled over and clutched her stomach. She sat back down on the couch and rocked back and forth. Ron finally threw the ferocious cat off him and flumped down next to Hermione. "Thanks for the help." She nodded at him, but couldn't stop laughing for get her breath back for a while. "I mean it though. Even if that cat is _crazy_, I still… I still love you."

Hermione wrapped her hands around him and pressed her head between his shoulder and neck. She placed a small kiss there and he gasped quietly. "I love you too, you idiot."


End file.
